NHDP projects worth Rs 6k cr cleared

NEW DELHI: The government has cleared seven highway projects worth Rs 6,000 crore under the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP). The seven projects are the first set to be cleared under phase-V of NHDP, which involves six-laning of 6,500 km of national highways including the Golden Quadrilateral.

The seven projects include six-laning of Surat-Dahesar, Panipat-Jallandhar, Chennai-Tada and Gurgaon-Kotputli-Jaipur. With an average length of 150 km, the stretches would be developed on a build-operate-transfer toll model. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would now invite bids for the projects.

The projects were cleared by the Public Private Partnership-Appraisal Committee (PPP-AC) on Friday.This phase includes development of corridors or sections having high traffic density, which are important economically or for tourism. These corridors have already been four laned under the first phase of NHDP, and will be six-laned under the fifth phase. The government is expecting most projects to be awarded on negative grant. NHDP-V is expected to be completed by 2010.

The ministry of shipping, road transport & highways will set monthly targets for receiving requests for proposal, feasibility reports and approvals from the public-private partnership appraisal committee (PPP-AC) to ensure timely completion of the projects. For NHDP-V, the government will first award 1,067 km by July 2007 at a cost of Rs 7,425 crore. In the second phase, 1,928 km will be awarded at a cost of Rs 12,223 crore by March 2008.